Pensamientos

Como les va a ustedes? Les extrano muchismo pero estoy contenta aqui. Hows it going for you all? I am keeping on here in the midst of a busy vacation time for our youth. They got off school about 2 weeks ago and have Christmas vacation until mid-January. I have been tudoring more kids now, which is an extra challenge. Many of the kids don't believe in themselves and often end up in tears because they feel incompetent. I've been working mainly on encouraging them and walking them through various exercises. This is what life is all about, coming alongside these kids and supporting them.
Lets see, things have been going really well with my host family. My host mom Teresa is such a servant and is so willing to make me meals, even if I happen to leave at 6 am at times. She always asks me what I am thinking of different flavors and laughs that I don't eat tons of butter on my food. We have really connected and have baked banana bread and french toast together. I described bierocks and how my Goering family makes pizza in the states. They are really excited for me to try these receipies. This past Saturday I attended my host sister Diana's 6th grade graduation. It was really long but afterwards each family had a separate table and celebrated it with a dance. This is such a dance culture!! My host brother Carlos just graduated high school and is ready to study at the University for an electrical engineering career. The most affordable and close university for him is in Tegucigalpa, which is still an hour bus ride each day. This can be for really long days because the transportation is not always consistent or at convient times.
I've had plenty of game playing time. I think I've lost and won at so many card games I can't even remember what they were. I also was happy that I successfully explained the games "rob the balls" or "capture the flag" and ultimate frisbee to the kids. Its been really fun teaching p.e. and actually its all really about conflict management.
In my spare time, I've had a lot of time to run, bike, and read. I've been running along the highway, which isn't always ideal. Somedays the constant "encouragement" from fellow male travelers can be frusterating but I am learning to be creative with my responses and seek for how to love them in these situations. Also, I just took a 5 hour bike ride with a Honduran that lives in Nueva Esperanza. We biked to Yuscaran and it was pretty uphill. This ride was definitely a challenge for me, but he was in great shape. He was quite patient with me and waited until I huffed my way up. The view was out-of-control gorgeous. I just can't get enough of the mountains here. We walked around the town a bit, learned some history of a creol family that was buried there, and had some guayaba ice cream. The fruits just can't get any better!
As far as reading goes, I finished the Twilight series. They were fun books about vampires! So many people laughed at me for that....I wonder why. Now, I just finished Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne. It was such an inspiring read. I think I walked away from it wanting to be more creative in my response to politics, government, and how I really love people who are poor in material, social, emotional, and relational areas of life. Here is some great quotes from his book that have really made me think:


"People sometimes ask if we are scared of the inner city. We say that we are more scared of the suburbs. Our Jesus warns that we can fear those things which can hurt out bodies or those things which can destory our souls, but we shold be far more fearful of the latter. Those are the subtle demons of suburbia. As Shane's mother says, "perhaps there is no more dangerous place for a Christian to be than in safety and comfrot, detached from the suffering of others."

"Love is a harsh and dreadful thing to ask of us, but it is the only answer." -Doris Day

"You cannot follow Jesus socially (in relation to your enemy) if you are not following Jesus economically."

"This great planet isn't just a boring lump of secular earth but a divine miracle, a creation! Any Christian politics that doesn't presume this is missing out on God's gift."

"We should be more concerned about identifying the radical spirit of love that must permeate every disciple's journey than about making a list of koser Christian jobs."

"Our hope is that the postmodern, post-Christian world is once again ready for a people who are peculiar, people who spend their energy creating a culture of contrast rather than a culture of relevancy."



You guys rock. I appreciate your support through many ups and downs that I have already had here. Thanks for the emails. Nothin like personal written notes either! May you all live to the fullest in this day.
"Let us pray that God would give us the strenght to storm the gates of hell and tear down the walls we have created between us and those whose suffering would disrupt our comfort. May we become familiar with the suffering of the poor outside our gates, know their names and taste their tears." (p.293, Claiborne).